


The Agnony of Mundanity

by Wolves_of_Innistrad



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Role Reversal, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 01:50:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18420372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolves_of_Innistrad/pseuds/Wolves_of_Innistrad
Summary: Just a short angsty ficlet I came up with watching everyone talk about how sad the current Malec storyline was and wondering "how could I make this even more heartbreaking?"Or the one where Alec dies.  Kind of.





	The Agnony of Mundanity

**Author's Note:**

> Backstory: an angsty fic where Magnus can’t get his magic back and after a while and finally starts to adjust and even love that he can be with Alec and still be loved for who he is and not what he can do for them. Cut to a bit later after they are married and they are all on an intense mission, Alec gets injured, severely, and no amount of healing runes will save him and they have no way to portal to safety or get Alec help. Magnus laments not being able to heal him without his magic and is forced to watch as Alec slowly slips away.

          “But we… we were finally going to grow old together Alexander…” Magnus chokes out, tears falling down his cheeks, staining his face with dark streaks from his makeup.

“I know… I was, I was,” Alec coughs up blood, “excited about seeing you go grey. Of watching our kids grow up and…” Alec begins slipping away faster and faster.  His heartbeat slowing as the wounds grow darker with blood.

They tell each other they love one another, but Magnus can’t deal with this. The only reason he was able to overcome losing his magic was his future with Alec and now it’s being stolen from him.  It isn't right, this wasn't how it was supposed to go.  They were supposed to get to be together now, for the rest of both of their lives.

That's when Simon gets an idea. He gets someone to take Magnus out of the room, despite his pleas he has to stay by his beloved’s side in his final moments.  It's a struggle, but they manage it despite Magnus opposition.

When everyone looks at Simon he just says “we don’t have much time. Alec will be dead in a few moments; I can hear his heart slowing. We have a choice to make.”

Half of them don’t understand, or are too distracted by Magnus wailing from somewhere in the hallway beyond to get it. Then Isabelle speaks up.

“You’re going to turn him.” She doesn’t say it accusingly, it’s matter of fact, shell-shocked.

Jace recoils as Simon drops his fangs and holds his wrist up. “No. Absolutely not! Alec wouldn’t want this!”

“Do you want your brother to die? This is the only option. No one here wants to lose Alec.” Simon inches closer to Alec, testing his pulse.

“Magnus wouldn’t want this. He loves Alec but he knows that Alec wouldn’t want to be a vampire,” Clary says, but her voice is filled with uncertainty.

“Do it.” Isabelle commands, taking action. “Do it before he dies and it’s too late Simon.”

“Izzy, you can’t be serious?! You know Alec wouldn’t choose this!”  Jace has tears in his eyes, he doesn't want to imagine life without his parabatai, he already feels the pain through their bond.  Still, he knows that Alec wouldn't choose this.

“I know. That's why I’m choosing it for him. I’ll be to blame, I accept that. My brother has worked too hard, suffered too much to find his place, to find love.  It can’t end now because of some stray demon. I won’t let it. Do it Simon.” Isabelle moves closer, taking Alec’s hand as she watches Simon bite his wrist and drip blood in Alec’s mouth. “I’m sorry big brother. I know you might not want this, but I’m not ready to lose you, none of us are.”

 

By the time Magnus manages to finally barge back in Jace has lifted Alec’s now lifeless body into his arms and is heading for the door. Magnus is inconsolable, rushing to his husband’s side, touching his face and feeling it cold.

“Magnus…  Let Jace through. We have to bury Alec.” Simon's face is paler than usual, knowing what they've done and not sure how Magnus will react, how Alec will react if it works.

Magnus whips his head around, eyes turning dark. “Here?! No! He deserves a proper funeral, he… He deserves to be honored with the greatest Shadowhunters not, not dumped in a hole out in the middle of nowhere.”

It’s Simon’s turn to step forward, trying to herd Magnus away. “We have to bury him now… So he can come back.”

For a moment Magnus just stares at Simon, grief overloading his mind until he finally understands. His hand comes up to cover his mouth, a soft, pained “no…” breaking the silence.

Magnus wants to scream, to yell, but as he looks around at their faces, so many mixed emotions, he can’t find any words.  All he can do is watch them take his husband away, not knowing how this will turn out.

 

They bury Alec fast, luckily Simon has some blood reserves on him just in case. When Alec claws his way out of the grave there are gasps, cries, both of fear and elation to see him alive once more. At least, for certain values of alive.

Once Alec collects himself  after feeding he’s shivering and Magnus holds him as Simon sits in front of him. The Daylighter gives Magnus a cloth to wipe the blood from Alec’s chin.

“Why am I so cold…?” Alec asks, cuddling next to Magnus who is trying his best to maintain some semblance of control.  He barely recognizes he's covered in dirt and coagulated blood.  That his clothes are stained with all of that and ripped from his former injuries which have since healed.

“Oh Alexander…” Magnus sighs, enveloping him in his arms, no longer feeling that warmth Alec always emitted, at least not physically.

 

Simon and Isabelle take Alec aside, explaining to him what’s happened. Everyone else waits inside as Alec screams and cries, rages, but soon it’s all over and he comes back inside.

“Thank you… For knowing I didn’t want this,” he says to Jace before moving towards his husband. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s not… I didn't…” Magnus manages to say, voice quivering.  It's still hard to believe he watched Alec dying not but a half hour ago.

“I know you didn’t. They should have given you the right. You should have made that decision…  You're my husband, you get to make that call.”

“I’m sorry, I know you would never want to be this. Even if there’s nothing wrong with being a downworlder.”

Alec shakes his head, voice coming out strained as he takes hold of Magnus hands. “No it's… I don’t care about that. I care that… I’m sorry that we won’t get to grow old together…”  There's so much pain in Alec's eyes, a grief that is sudden, but long-lasting.

That’s when it hits Magnus, the terrible, awful truth. For so long he’d wondered how he would deal with Alec eventually growing old and passing away, but now they were in the opposite situation. Magnus was a mundane now and Alec was immortal. Now he would be the one that grew old as he watched as Alec stayed the same, never aging, never changing. He remembered his own life, so much sadness and loneliness, so many memories, and for the first time he truly understood what Alec had felt when they’d first gotten together. How it must feel to know the person you love most in the world will outlive you, that one day you’ll just be memories of a love they once had.

“Alexander…” Magnus said, clutching him tightly to his chest. They sobbed together, openly, unashamed. This would be different, they’d have a long road to go to understand how to navigate this life, but he knew they’d do it together.  Just not the way either of them had ever envisioned.


End file.
